US10165926B2ActiveUtilityA1

Dishwasher having at least one illumination element

43
Assignee: BSH HAUSGERAETE GMBHPriority: Apr 16, 2013Filed: Apr 10, 2014Granted: Jan 1, 2019
Est. expiryApr 16, 2033(~6.8 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Marco GleixnerFranz KiechleKarlheinz Rehm
A47L 15/4246A47L 15/4293A47L 15/4257A47L 15/4274
43
PatentIndex Score
0
Cited by
40
References
25
Claims

Abstract

A dishwasher includes a washing chamber exposed to liquid during washing operation and enclosed by a plurality of walls of a washing container and by an internal wall of a door. At least one of the walls has at least one aperture which is covered or closed by at least one illumination element. The at least one illumination element includes at least one planar lighting element and at least one transparent, translucent or reflective planar element associated to the planar lighting element.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A dishwasher, comprising:
 a washing chamber exposed to liquid during washing operation and enclosed by a plurality of walls of a washing container and by an internal wall of a door, at least one of the walls having at least one aperture; and 
 at least one illumination element configured to cover or close the at least one aperture, said at least one illumination element comprising at least one planar lighting element and at least one transparent, translucent or reflective planar element associated to the at least one planar lighting element, 
 wherein the at least one transparent, translucent or reflective planar element comprises a planar front panel, which is made of a transparent or translucent material and covers the at least one aperture, said planar front panel being mounted to the at least one wall and having a first side which faces and is exposed to the washing chamber and a second side which faces away from the washing chamber, said at least one planar lighting element being located on the second side, and 
 wherein the at least one wall has a recess that is indented inward from an outside of the at least one wall towards the washing chamber and that forms a fixing flange, and the at least one illumination element is mounted on an outer side of the fixing flange which faces away from the washing chamber, such that at least a portion of a thickness of the at least one illumination element is accommodated by the recess and such that the at least one illumination element covers from behind the at least one aperture in the at least one wall. 
 
     
     
       2. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one wall is a rear wall of the washing container. 
     
     
       3. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one planar lighting element and the at least one transparent, translucent or reflective planar element are separated from one another in a transverse direction to the at least one wall by an air gap. 
     
     
       4. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one illumination element is fixed indirectly or directly to an edge of the fixing flange formed by the recess of the at least one wall, which edge encloses the at least one aperture. 
     
     
       5. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least one planar lighting element and the at least one transparent, translucent or reflective planar element of the illumination element is fixed indirectly or directly to an edge of the fixing flange formed by the recess of the at least one wall, which edge encloses the at least one aperture. 
     
     
       6. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one illumination element is fixed to the fixing flange formed by the recess of the at least one wall by an adhesive bond and/or mechanical fastening. 
     
     
       7. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one illumination element replaces at least 50% of a surface area of the at least one wall. 
     
     
       8. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one illumination element replaces at least 75% of a surface area of the at least one wall. 
     
     
       9. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one illumination element replaces between 80% and 95% of a surface area of the at least one wall. 
     
     
       10. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one planar lighting element of the at least one illumination element replaces at least 50% of a surface area of the at least one wall. 
     
     
       11. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one planar lighting element of the at least one illumination element replaces at least 75% of a surface area of the at least one wall. 
     
     
       12. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one planar lighting element of the at least one illumination element replaces between 80% and 95% of a surface area of the at least one wall. 
     
     
       13. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein at least one member selected from the group consisting of the at least one illumination element, the at least one planar lighting element, and the at least one transparent, translucent or reflective planar element is fixed to the at least one wall such as to accommodate between the at least one member and the at least one wall a relative movement which is caused as a result of different thermal expansions and runs parallel to a plane spanned by the at least one wall. 
     
     
       14. The dishwasher of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one member is fixed to an edge of the fixing flange formed by the recess of the at least one wall, which edge encloses the at least one aperture. 
     
     
       15. The dishwasher of  claim 14 , wherein the at least one member is adhesively bonded to the at least one wall or the fixing flange, and further comprising an elastic corrective layer interposed between the at least one member and the at least one wall to absorb shear forces caused by the relative movement. 
     
     
       16. The dishwasher of  claim 15 , wherein the elastic corrective layer is a sealant layer. 
     
     
       17. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein the planar front panel is mounted to an edge of the fixing flange formed by the recess of the at least one wall, which edge encloses the at least one aperture. 
     
     
       18. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one planar lighting element is arranged spaced apart from said second side of the planar front panel by an air gap. 
     
     
       19. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , further comprising a retaining element holding at least one member selected from the group consisting of the at least one planar lighting element and a corresponding at least one transparent, translucent or reflective planar element. 
     
     
       20. The dishwasher of  claim 19 , wherein the retaining element is a frame surrounding an outside of the at least one member. 
     
     
       21. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one transparent, translucent or reflective planar element further comprises a reflector film reflecting light and/or thermal radiation and covering the at least one aperture, said reflector film being arranged as a planar element on a side of the at least one planar lighting element that faces away from the washing chamber. 
     
     
       22. The dishwasher of  claim 21 , further comprising a light source arranged to couple light emanating therefrom into an end face of the reflector film. 
     
     
       23. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , further comprising a light source arranged to couple light emanating therefrom into an end face of the at least one planar lighting element. 
     
     
       24. The dishwasher of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one wall, when viewed along a width of the at least one wall, has a row of at least two of said at least one aperture which are covered or closed by illumination elements, respectively, and/or the at least one wall, when viewed along a height of the at least one wall, has a row of at least two of said at least one aperture which are covered or closed by illumination elements, respectively. 
     
     
       25. A dishwasher, comprising:
 a washing container having a plurality of walls and enclosing a washing chamber, at least one of the walls of the washing container comprising at least one aperture; 
 a planar lighting element configured to cover the at least one aperture; and 
 at least one separate transparent, translucent or reflective planar element associated to the planar lighting element and configured to cover the at least one aperture, 
 wherein the at least one separate transparent, translucent or reflective planar element comprises a planar front panel, which is made of a transparent or translucent material and covers the at least one aperture, said planar front panel being mounted to the at least one wall and having a first side which faces and is exposed to the washing chamber and a second side which faces away from the washing chamber, the planar lighting element being located on the second side, and 
 wherein the at least one wall has a recess that is indented inward from an outside of the at least one wall towards the washing chamber and that forms a fixing flange, and the at least one planar lighting element is mounted on an outer side of the fixing flange which faces away from the washing chamber, such that at least a portion of a thickness of the at least one planar lighting element is accommodated by the recess and such that the at least one planar lighting element covers from behind the at least one aperture in the at least one wall.

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